"Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." Hebrew 4:14-16
Please pray for God's mercy in the life of our little son, who is very ill. Please pray for gracious, miraculous healing in his little body. Please pray for us to have increased faith, wisdom, and clarity in the next few days.
Thank you.
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Thoughtful Reflection on the Royal Wedding
I read the story of Cinderella to my little girl often...not so much because Elly likes it or even understands what's going on, but because I like it. And, yes, I'm a sucker for cheesy romance movies too ;)
So as the news of the royal wedding grows and grows, I've had conflicting emotions. A part of me knows that this wedding is mind-blowingly expensive and quite unimportant from an eternal standpoint. The cost alone is insane...especially in light of the incredible poverty that my husband and I are about to see as we bring our babies home. But...there's this little girl inside of me that is secretly excited to see a royal wedding. I love beautiful wedding flowers and happy couples...the fairy tale of Cinderella played out in real life.
I recently read this article by Caryn Rivadeneira at the Her.menutics Blog entitled: The Royal Wedding: An Unholy Union. This thoughtful article is dead-on and helps me reconcile the "mature" me that sees the ridiculousness and knows the realities and beauties of love and marriage with the "little girl" me who can't wait for tomorrow's news. ha!
So as the news of the royal wedding grows and grows, I've had conflicting emotions. A part of me knows that this wedding is mind-blowingly expensive and quite unimportant from an eternal standpoint. The cost alone is insane...especially in light of the incredible poverty that my husband and I are about to see as we bring our babies home. But...there's this little girl inside of me that is secretly excited to see a royal wedding. I love beautiful wedding flowers and happy couples...the fairy tale of Cinderella played out in real life.
I recently read this article by Caryn Rivadeneira at the Her.menutics Blog entitled: The Royal Wedding: An Unholy Union. This thoughtful article is dead-on and helps me reconcile the "mature" me that sees the ridiculousness and knows the realities and beauties of love and marriage with the "little girl" me who can't wait for tomorrow's news. ha!
Sunday, April 17, 2011
An Adoption Tale
This story was linked at Justin Taylor's blog on the Gospel Coalition website. It does a good job not just sharing the unique complications and hiccups of adoption, but reminding us of the foundational truth that God, in Christ, has adopted believers into His eternal family. The adoption of an orphan is a beautiful picture of how God in His mercy has extended grace...and not just the grace of forgiveness, but full rights as children to approach our loving Father.
Friday, April 15, 2011
Baby Steps
After a long, often grueling wait to hear about our little boy's court process, we got to speak with our lawyer last Sunday. Incredibly (or not so incredibly when I think about the goodness and sovereignty of God), both of our children have passed court. That's right...our little girl passed court in under 6 weeks, as compared to our son's 6 months!
So what does that mean:
1. They are Huettes! We are a family of 5.
2. We are waiting on their documents, which means we can't schedule a US Embassy date until they have been seen by our stateside lawyer.
3. Once she gives the thumbs up on our paperwork, she will make an appointment for us...my hope is for mid-May, though everything is slower than I'd like! Once we get that date and begin traveling, I will likely be making my blog private, so that I can post more about the country we are adopting from as well as about our journey without concern of who might be reading...more on that later.
4. One of us will travel for the Embassy interview (a 5ish day trip)
5. We will then both travel together 2-3 weeks later to bring our babies home. We may stay for a week to 10 days in country to be able to soak it in, see the orphanage our kiddos came out of, and let our babies adjust to us as we adjust to them.
6. Then the real craziness begins! Which leads me to some prayer requests...
-Smooth process so that they can come home quickly
-Elly to be prepared for the addition of siblings. (Her world will be rocked!)
-For our babies to remain healthy until we can get to them (no more malaria/hospital visits)
-For God to give us everything that we need to parents 3 children under 2 (July 1st Elly turns the big 2!)
-For quick adjustments for our babies who will be leaving all that they know...the woman who has cared for them, the language they have heard, the environment they know, etc...While adoption brings great joy, it is wrought out of sorrow and loss as well.
Here's a picture of our little (or should I say big given that he's nearly 20 lbs and 6 months old?) guy for your enjoyment as well as one of our little girl's hands, which are much more dainty hands. :) Praise God for blessing us with these beautiful children who are officially members of the family. I can't wait to hold them, learn their personalities, and have the privilege of raising them.
So what does that mean:
1. They are Huettes! We are a family of 5.
2. We are waiting on their documents, which means we can't schedule a US Embassy date until they have been seen by our stateside lawyer.
3. Once she gives the thumbs up on our paperwork, she will make an appointment for us...my hope is for mid-May, though everything is slower than I'd like! Once we get that date and begin traveling, I will likely be making my blog private, so that I can post more about the country we are adopting from as well as about our journey without concern of who might be reading...more on that later.
4. One of us will travel for the Embassy interview (a 5ish day trip)
5. We will then both travel together 2-3 weeks later to bring our babies home. We may stay for a week to 10 days in country to be able to soak it in, see the orphanage our kiddos came out of, and let our babies adjust to us as we adjust to them.
6. Then the real craziness begins! Which leads me to some prayer requests...
-Smooth process so that they can come home quickly
-Elly to be prepared for the addition of siblings. (Her world will be rocked!)
-For our babies to remain healthy until we can get to them (no more malaria/hospital visits)
-For God to give us everything that we need to parents 3 children under 2 (July 1st Elly turns the big 2!)
-For quick adjustments for our babies who will be leaving all that they know...the woman who has cared for them, the language they have heard, the environment they know, etc...While adoption brings great joy, it is wrought out of sorrow and loss as well.
Here's a picture of our little (or should I say big given that he's nearly 20 lbs and 6 months old?) guy for your enjoyment as well as one of our little girl's hands, which are much more dainty hands. :) Praise God for blessing us with these beautiful children who are officially members of the family. I can't wait to hold them, learn their personalities, and have the privilege of raising them.
Renewed Mind
"Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God." Colossians 3:1-2
Andy and I just spent the last three days at the Gospel Coalition conference in Chicago. It was great. To be honest, I wasn't looking forward to going. 9 sermons in two days...how's that for mental stimulation?! While my attitude about going may not have been the greatest, these last few days were many many times better than I anticipated. I came to some realizations during these days, and one is that my mind has been focused on earthly things...on dates and documents and things make the addition of 2 babies smoother...but the reality is, being consumed with worry over those things adds nothing to my life and changes nothing about our situation.
So here's to being challenged to set my mind on things above, not on earthly things. I hope that the reminder challenges you as well.
**On a sidenote, I may be posting links to various things that I heard this week.
Andy and I just spent the last three days at the Gospel Coalition conference in Chicago. It was great. To be honest, I wasn't looking forward to going. 9 sermons in two days...how's that for mental stimulation?! While my attitude about going may not have been the greatest, these last few days were many many times better than I anticipated. I came to some realizations during these days, and one is that my mind has been focused on earthly things...on dates and documents and things make the addition of 2 babies smoother...but the reality is, being consumed with worry over those things adds nothing to my life and changes nothing about our situation.
So here's to being challenged to set my mind on things above, not on earthly things. I hope that the reminder challenges you as well.
**On a sidenote, I may be posting links to various things that I heard this week.
Friday, April 1, 2011
Shout Out to Sara Groves
So I've been mulling over lots of things lately and asking lots of questions...Why is our adoption process taking twice as long as we were told? Why would God allow our son to stay these 3 extra months when he's been ill and likely will be again? Is He smiting me for something? Does Elly need more one-on-one time before the twins arrive? Is there a better plan than the one I'd concocted (which totally hasn't happened b/c our son would already be home by now)...or better timing? And on and on and on...
And then I thought back to a song I once heard. A dear friend was going through a horribly painful time in her life. The pain was severe and it was inflicted by the man who had promised at the altar to always be faithful to her...and he wasn't, in fact, he left. And I remember her playing this song, which had comforted her, about her ever-faithful God. It is a song by Sara Groves entitled, "He's Always Been Faithful to Me."
Great is thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me
Morning by morning I wake up to find
The power and comfort of God’s hand in mine
Season by season I watch Him, amazed
In awe of the mystery of His perfect ways
All I have need of, His hand will provide
He’s always been faithful to me.
I can’t remember a trial or a pain
He did not recycle to bring me gain
I can’t remember one single regret
In serving God only, and trusting His hand
All I have need of, His hand will provide
He’s always been faithful to me.
This is my anthem, this is my song
The theme of the stories I’ve heard for so long
God has been faithful, He will be again
His loving compassion, it knows no end
All I have need of, His hand will provide
He’s always been faithful, He’s always been faithful
He’s always been faithful to me.
These lyrics apply to my life as well. As I question if God is punishing me by not giving me what I want...I have to look back to the past. His ways truly are good. He has given me more than I could have asked for or even imagined. He has never deserted me. He has sustained me in trials. He has brought healing to pain. And none of these things have I deserved. It is all grace. He has blessed us in abundance (literally...with 3 kids under 2), and ultimately He knows better. He has always been faithful...and always will. And even when I think about bringing our babies home and get caught up in the fear of how I will survive the days, these lyrics remind, "All I have need of, His hand will provide..." and I know He will.
Be encouraged, as I have, to look backwards in times of discouragement. Reminders of God's faithfulness in the past give us courage to walk by faith in the present.
And then I thought back to a song I once heard. A dear friend was going through a horribly painful time in her life. The pain was severe and it was inflicted by the man who had promised at the altar to always be faithful to her...and he wasn't, in fact, he left. And I remember her playing this song, which had comforted her, about her ever-faithful God. It is a song by Sara Groves entitled, "He's Always Been Faithful to Me."
Great is thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me
Morning by morning I wake up to find
The power and comfort of God’s hand in mine
Season by season I watch Him, amazed
In awe of the mystery of His perfect ways
All I have need of, His hand will provide
He’s always been faithful to me.
I can’t remember a trial or a pain
He did not recycle to bring me gain
I can’t remember one single regret
In serving God only, and trusting His hand
All I have need of, His hand will provide
He’s always been faithful to me.
This is my anthem, this is my song
The theme of the stories I’ve heard for so long
God has been faithful, He will be again
His loving compassion, it knows no end
All I have need of, His hand will provide
He’s always been faithful, He’s always been faithful
He’s always been faithful to me.
These lyrics apply to my life as well. As I question if God is punishing me by not giving me what I want...I have to look back to the past. His ways truly are good. He has given me more than I could have asked for or even imagined. He has never deserted me. He has sustained me in trials. He has brought healing to pain. And none of these things have I deserved. It is all grace. He has blessed us in abundance (literally...with 3 kids under 2), and ultimately He knows better. He has always been faithful...and always will. And even when I think about bringing our babies home and get caught up in the fear of how I will survive the days, these lyrics remind, "All I have need of, His hand will provide..." and I know He will.
Be encouraged, as I have, to look backwards in times of discouragement. Reminders of God's faithfulness in the past give us courage to walk by faith in the present.
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